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Dominican Preaching through Word and Image
And What Is a Friend?
A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.
– Arabian Proverb
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Thank you, Pat for this proverb and picture. I often use a similar thought in my prayers after I teach a class. I ask God to plant deep in the hearts and minds of the participants the real seeds of value, but also for the Spirit of God to blow away any unnecessary chaff that could cause damage to their souls. And, of course, God is truly the best of friends.
Thank you, John. Always good to hear from you. Indeed, God, who knows us through and through, is the best friend of all. Blessings in your ministry! Pat
Thanks Pat, to me this is one of the ways I cherish Jesus as my friend too. To tell everything or cry or whimper or laugh, depending on my mood, and know that he will sift it through loving hands and never hold it against me.Only grace.
And it is truly a grace, Solveig, that you know that! I think that there are many who don’t know that, as the psalmist wrote in Psalm 139, God knows our frame. In fact, God created our frame, and loves us more than we can ever know. Blessings to you! Pat